Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $1.37 Million Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 96.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,030 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 145,933 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of STE. Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 165.3% during the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $534,400,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619,796 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $238,836,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $223,987,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 35,759.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 410,237 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $92,980,000 after acquiring an additional 409,093 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $250,130,000 after acquiring an additional 378,252 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

STERIS Price Performance

STE traded down $0.77 on Friday, reaching $235.46. The stock had a trading volume of 665,854 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,550. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $200.98 and a fifty-two week high of $252.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $234.64 and a 200-day moving average of $223.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $23.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.98 and a beta of 0.94.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. STERIS's payout ratio is presently 36.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. The trade was a 53.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.